Monthly Archives: December 2014

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Rating: 2.5/5 complacent clouds OH-KAY. Time to get this last recap and review out of the way. In retrospect, the entire episode twelve dragged out in the longest half hour show ever. All the Noel confusion could have been packed … Continue reading →

Hey guys, today I wanted to share a review on a magical girl series that just finished in the fall season. Yuuki Yuuna wa Yusha de Aru is a really unique new magical girl series that tries to incorporate darker themes into the existing dynamics of the genre. It explores themes such as heroism, strength, life, death, purgatory, sacrifice and even nationalism. While the plot does not twist and turn as much as the popular Puella Magi Madoka Magica I wanted to talk about it because it is worth watching. I feel like the character designs were given a lot of thought and the artistic direction was very impressive overall.

Below, I’ll leave the vlog for some commentary and an overall look on the series and magic girl genre. I didn’t have as much time to explore a critique on the ending of the show so if you guys are interested in that, check out the stuff below the video…

“The world’s filled with painful things and sad things, and things you can’t handle by yourself. But if there’s someone you love, you’ll never fall. You’ll never give up. There’s someone you love, so you’ll keep getting back up again! That’s why a Hero never loses!” – Yuuki Yuuna

(Because I am commenting and critiquing the resolution of the series there are SPOILERS BELOW!!! TREAD CAREFULLY!!!)

The twist, where the girls must sacrifice a body part or sense in order to use the Shinju-sama’s power in mankai mode definitely threw all the viewers back. Its plot set-up earned a lot of respect from fans of the magical girl genre no doubt. After finding out the consequences of fighting as a hero, Togo attempts to destroy the entire world so that this cruel and vicious cycle with end. The final battle is a result of Togo breaking a whole in the wall. Hundreds upon thousands of powerful Vertex creatures flood into the Shinju-sama’s protective realm and threaten to attack earth.

At first, Karin’s EPIC BATTLE with one of the giant vertexes (in episode eleven) ends up fully paralyzing her, taking her sight, her hearing and most of her limbs. She took down the giant Vertext by going into mankai FIVE TIMES, proudly reciting the Hero Club’s five tenets. Honestly, that moment was one of the most tragic for me in this series because next to Yuuki Yuuna herself, Karin is one of the most devoted of the heroes in the group. The five girls go from fighting each other in the penultimate episode, to Yuuna fighting Togo, both in mankai mode and after Yuuna convinces Togo to resume the fight against the Vertexes. Togo even attempts to kill Shinju-sama, GOD ITSELF. DAYUM GIRL. Yeah, she’s definitely my favourite character in this show. However, Tougo’s weak spot it Yuuna and she’s flawed in this sense because near the end, she’s WAY TOO EASILY convinced by Yuuna to start fighting the Vertexes again. I give MAJOR PROPS to Karin for going into mankai mode a SIXTH TIME to fight alongside her girls in the final struggle. I assume Yuuna is the only one paralyzed and in shock after the fighting is over because she actually TOUCHED the soul/core of the Vertex. Luckily she does return to normal though after a prolonged period of rest.

If the Shinju-sama and the organization hadn’t relieved the girls of their duties and restored their senses and body parts, Karin would have become a vegetable and the other girls would have been seriously injured. It seems like a cop-out near the end when you consider the fact that a happy ending was thrown in with the snap of the organization higher-ups’ fingers but in this system, the girls are fully dependent on the Shinju-sama’s system of sacrifice. They can’t kill the Shinju-sama itself nor can they destroy the world using borrowed power. They’d fight each other to death in mankai mode for nothing if they decided to really go at it. As a result, it HAS to be the Shinju-sama that relieves them of their duties as heroes… the organization probably saw all the drama going on and said “don’t want any part of these teenage issues, bye now.” LOL Still, it feels like Karin’s epic sacrifice in her six mankai modes was for naught because it all reverts back though I am SO GLAD everyone got a happy ending. You end up getting so attached to the girls because of their tragic yet noble magic girl cycle that you want them to live happily ever after even if that means the plot cheats JUST a bit.

The entire ordeal seems almost like a dream to these girls because after the battle and the worries and the angst, they return to their daily lives like nothing happened. However, near the end, the girls muse that the world hasn’t changed “out there” and that there’s still other girls who are fighting in the Shinju-sama’s system. There’s a last little bit of text floating near the end of the episode that says this is Yuuki Yuuna’s chapter which has made fans (and myself) consider the fact that there may be more seasons to come. Will they feature another group of girls or simply tell the story from another member of the group’s perspective? There is so much potential to the world because of the unique rules that have been set up. The organization at hand hasn’t been explored nor have other intricacies in this magic system been flushed out. The last animation details with the change of credits where the girls are strolling down the path, from Togo in a wheelchair, to Yuuna in a wheelchair and everyone on their feet was a great addition to give closure to the series.

I do hope to see more from this franchise because the art style is easy on the eyes and the magic girl character designs so innovative considering pre-existing aesthetics. I highly recommend everyone give this show a go.

Rating: 4.25/5 curiously excited clouds Dayum, the ending of this episode was just too awesome. Unlimited Blade Works is so much more complex than the first route and the only thing I really hated about this episode was that WE’RE … Continue reading →

Episode 11 Rating: 3/5 complacent clouds This episode fell a little short for me. Most of the time the episode focused on Ki-Ja’s settling into the group dynamic and most of the episode time was spent wandering around the forest … Continue reading →

Rating: 4/5 curiously excited clouds This episode of Shirobako was definitely my favourite. Miyamori showed us just how much gumption she’s got as an assistant producer and I loved the Evangelion reference in there. I was also pleasant surprised at … Continue reading →

Hey guys how are you all? I hope you’ve all had wonderful holiday celebrations with your family and friends. I know I have and there are quite a few interesting holiday events and installations to check out this time of the year in Hong Kong. One particular character named Pom Pom Purin was featured in a lovely display at the Metro City Plaza at Po Lam. Pom Pom Purin is a Sanrio character and it is typically associated with tea and pudding. It’s translated Chinese name literally means Pudding Puppy (or dog).

I found these sculptures and little displays really quite festive and fitting for the holidays. They went with a dreamy Christmas Wonderland theme while keeping to the golds and caramels unique to the Pom Pom Purin trademark look. There was even a crane game and promotional features for fans to check out. Overall I was really impressed with how this event went.

Hey guys! I hope your holidays are going well! Today I have a really fun mix of things in honour of the holidays. Hong Kong is one of the best places to go shopping for if you’re into collecting Japanese merchandise. There’s stuff from Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun, Vocaloid, No Game No Life, Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei, Type Moon (Fate), Pandora Hearts and Moomin. All this merchandise was collaborated in different areas and stores throughout Hong Kong such as Mong Kok, Sham Shui Po, Prince Edward and Tsim Sha Tsui.

Check out the video for vlog commentary and live shots as well as the pictures below for close up pictures. There will be TWO MORE HAULS coming after this!! Stay tuned for more here on the blog or over on my channel =D Till then, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and have a wonderful winter <3333

OHMYGOODNESS Not only did I miss Donten ni Warau’s eleventh episode< I also missed Sora no Method’s. I sincerely apologize if you’ve been following these Sora no Method recaps weekly. Haven’t done a double recap/review in a while but these … Continue reading →

Rating: 4/5 curious clouds Wow, a lot of food for thought this week. Though there was considerably less action that in the previous high school battle scenes in the last few weeks, I really enjoyed this episode for its characters’ … Continue reading →

“So ephemeral and weak, but it’s shining with all its might… Thump, thump like a heartbeat… This is the light of life.” – Kaori This performance was definitely a pivotal point in Kousei’s personal development as a character, as Friend … Continue reading →